Prince Amir.
“Kiara, how are you feeling? Are you excited?”
My anger fades as I look into his smiling face. Genuine happiness exudes from him, yet it is not for himself, but aimed toward me. He is pleasedforme. It must be to do with the ceremony that I have been brought here for, but as I still do not know the purpose of it, I find it difficult to return his excitement.
Attempting a rueful expression, I smile faintly. “I would be more excited if I knew why I was here.”
“No one’s told you?” He seems shocked, no, it is deeper than that, anger flashes in his eyes as he shoots a look over his shoulder at his father. I almost missed it, as he’s smiling at me now, but I know what I saw. I have noticed the tension between the prince and his father, yet this seemed more than that. What is happening here?
“Never mind, this just means that I get to be the one to tell you.” He practically beams, his smile infectious. “You are being redesignated.”
Everything stops. In this one moment, the world is still, even the sound of the water in the fountain has ceased. Of course, I know this is not truly possible, yet what he is telling me is also something I had once thought impossible. The sullied cannotbe redeemed, a life sentence. It is why we are rebranded and excluded from society, as even being locked in the cells is too good for the likes of us.
Dropping his gaze, I turn my face away, staring at the mosaic floor although not truly seeing it, bringing my hand to my mouth. There’s a part of me that refuses to believe this is real, my mistrust insisting this is a cruel joke. Not to mention I am pretty skeptical behind the reasons of this. I still don’t know what crime I committed to become Sullied, and now they are simply taking it away? Does the King think this wipes the slate clean? If he thinks giving me a fancy title and clothing is enough to take away the pain from a decade of living in squalor then he needs a reality check. I carry many scars from this life, both physically and mentally, and they will not magically vanish when my rank is changed.
Where are your survival skills?My own voice snaps me out of those dark thoughts.They are offering you a fresh start, a new life.I have lived so long by surviving one day at a time and not allowing myself to imagine a future that all of this seems so impossible. I would be stupid to refuse this, both for myself and Ella.
This all seems too good to be true. Can I truly let myself believe that this is actually happening?
“I’ll no longer be sullied?” I whisper, breaking the spell over me, slowly lifting my gaze to meet his, half expecting him to say he was wrong.
His expression softens, picking up on my fear and disbelief. “You are being given a new life, Kiara.”
“The king didn’t give me much of a choice.” I should be grateful, or at least try to sound it, but that little niggle in the back of my mind will not let this drop.
Amir winces and nods slowly. “I know, I am sorry about that, my father can be brutal in his methods, but there is more goingon here than it appears. We need you, Kiara.” Earnestly, he steps closer and places his hand on my arm. “I will do everything I can to make your life comfortable here.”
Glancing down at his tanned hand on my arm, I find myself once more with a vortex of contradicting feelings. He is so genuine, but he is also his father’s son, the man that has threatened me and bullied me into a life I never asked for.
“I don’t want you to make me comfortable, your highness,” I explain softly, placing my hand on top of his and staring up into his blue eyes. “I want to be free.”
“Kiara…” His voice is heavy with the weight of emotion and he trails off, not saying what is truly on his mind.
“Lady Kiara, are you ready for the ceremony?”
Caleb’s voice catches me by surprise and I jerk away from the prince as though his touch burns. Glancing over Amir’s shoulder, I see my friend dressed in his full ceremonial robes. With his hood up you can barely make out any of his features but I would know him anywhere. In these clothes, all of the Chosen are look the same, united in their mission to serve the gods, hiding their identity to all except the gods.
“Your highness,” Caleb lowers his head slightly in a show of respect, only his mouth showing as he smile. “I apologise, I did not see you there.” He gestures loosely toward his hood as an excuse but we all know that he saw the prince and this is a slight.
However, the prince simply raises a brow and dips his head in greeting. He glances at me and turns away, joining the others around the fountain. I can feel the eyes of the group on me, expectant and impatient, but my full attention is on the imposing figure before me.
Seventeen
“Caleb.” My voice is a broken whisper, overwhelmed at having my friend here and seeing him safe.
His name seems to break him from his spell and he pushes his hood back enough that I can see his eyes, keeping his movements small so not to draw attention. Seeing his familiar face almost breaks me. I have been so strong, so why do I feel like crumbling apart now he’s here?
“Are you okay?” Voice low, he scans me from head to toe although I am not sure what he’s looking for. “I’m sorry I have not been able to come to you since the other evening. I have had to make my new position here seem legitimate and that requires fulfilling certain duties.”
Although he holds himself still, I can tell from the tension in his shoulders and the clench of his jaw that he wants to do more,saymore. Under the harsh gaze of the king and his lords, we need to be careful that they don’t suspect that there is anything happening here other than one of the Chosen advising me before the ceremony.
“I am okay.” Huffing a dubious laugh, I shake my head. “I just cannot believe this is happening.”
His brows furrow and he takes half a step closer, seemingly unable to stop himself. “How did you convince them that you could use magic?”
His hissed question is laden with disapproval and confusion. He doesn’t want to believe that I have magic and have kept in from him all this time. I can’t tell him the truth, that the magic is not my own, but the result of a deal I made with a demon. He would not understand, especially when he scolded me for simply mentioning demons the other night. However, he’s my oldest friend, if I cannot confide in him, then who can I speak with?
Don’t tell him.
